“hey fritz… do you have any mason jars?”

by Nina on September 1, 2010

So most of you have heard me talk about my gingered bestie who is heading for the aisle next year. Well a few weeks ago, two maids  and the ginger bride went antiquing, and no this had nothing to do with flour. After a lovely lunch, where we happily consumed a $10 pitcher of Firefly Sweet Tea, we headed for the local antique shops, in search of “stuff”. We didn’t really know what we were looking for, but turns out ole Fritz the shop owner had treasure in store for us.

We knew we were looking for oars. The old, vintage distressed looking kind. I’m not telling you what these are for. You’re just going to have to wait. But way in the back of Fritz’s house of treasures, we found a whole bunch of them.  And picked up two, that were begging for a new life in the fresh wedding air. Scoop.

Earlier in the week a few of us had received an email… subject line “Mason Jar Mission”. Seriously. We like mason jars, and signature drinks are kind of a big deal, and really you can’t just serve them in regular highball glasses. No. What’s the fun in that.

Mason jars turns out… kind of hard to find for a relatively decent price. That is until we met Fritz. After stumbling on one box of 10 or so dusty olf mason jars, we asked Fritz if he had anymore.

Fritz: “How many do you need?”
Us: “A lot”
Fritz: “Well I got more than you probably need.”
Me: “Don’t count on it. Where’s the stash?”

He asked us to follow him down to the basement. For whatever reason, me, the most untrusting of the three had complete confidence in Fritz and that a bevy of mason jars awaited pre-packed in boxes ready to go. The ginger bride and maid were apparently exchanging nervous glances and checking for cell reception in the event that we were abducted and locked in the antique store basement.

As usual… I was right.

We were not in fact kidnapped, and instead bestowed four full boxes of mason jars, that we carried back upstairs to haggle prices with ole Fritz.

Somehow… we made off with over 65 mason jars, and two vintage oars for $40. FORTY DOLLARS!

Amazing.

We drive a hard bargain, and really, let’s be honest. Fritz couldn’t wait to get rid of those jars. They weren’t even on display. Hell, we freed up all kinds of space in his basement for storing other amazing treasures. (This is what we’re telling ourselves as we threw everything in the car and sped off before he realized that we robbed him blind.)

What can I say?  We’re a hard bargained bunch of upstate ladies with the southern charm to match.
After a quick hosing off, a dunk in the bleach bucket and two or three runs in the dishwasher, those dusty jars were shiny as ever, just waiting for a little liquid love on wedding day.

Stay tuned…

Onlinerel Facebook Twitter Myspace Friendfeed Technorati del.icio.us Digg Google Yahoo Buzz StumbleUpon

{ 0 comments }

Sunday’s Nuptials… NYTimes Style

by Nina on August 30, 2010

Every Sunday for the last three years I leave my apartment and walk down 6th ave to the newspaper stand on the corner of 57th, pay the man $5, and grab a Sunday edition of the New York Times, neurotically checking to make sure that each section is there before I step away from the stand. God forbid the Travel section goes missing. Seriously. I’m not happy if that happens.

From there, I retreat to some outdoor space, usually the roof with my Starbucks, and my computer in case I feel inclined to share something I’m reading (in the real newspaper) with my NYC ex-pat friends. Headlines like Anna Wintour Custom Couture Dolls at Barneys, Denver Chefs Head for the Garden, 36 Hours in San Francisco… If you can’t read the Times anymore, please, allow me to bring it to you in customized snippets.

I’m moving to Boston in 2 days, so this past Sunday was my last sprawled out on a sunny midtown balcony,  the overwhelming smell of horse poo wafting up from Central Park South, cup of coffee in hand, listening to Jonathan Schwartz’s Sunday Show on WNYC, with the paper in arms reach. This, for the record, is my idea of perfect happiness (less the horse poo.) If I could somehow listen to Jonathan Schwartz stumble over intros to Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Nina Simone classics for four hours, with a skinny vanilla latte, and the Sunday Times on a beach somewhere I would be in paradise. A frozen cocktail would be cool too…

Everyone has an order they read the Times in. For instance, when I’m spending a weekend at the lake, I know that Kate will want the Travel section, Andrew will start with the Week in Review, and Connor will grab the Real Estate section. No one takes the Style section, leaving it free and clear to me to devour immediately. My intellectual lakeside counterparts occasionally refer to the Style section as fluff. Well, let me tell you something, fluff… is an excellent way to start your Sunday.

[click to continue…]

Onlinerel Facebook Twitter Myspace Friendfeed Technorati del.icio.us Digg Google Yahoo Buzz StumbleUpon

{ 0 comments }

2010 Emmy’s Aisle Fashion…

August 30, 2010

So… watched the Emmy Awards, and I have to say… Jimmy Fallon killed it. Sorry, but my love for Jimmy Fallon goes back to cow bells and Fever Pitch, so maybe I’m a bit bias, but… yeah. He def Killed it. First of all, before we get to the dresses. That intro… Was. Bananas. Ba.Nananas. [...]

Read the full article →

really amazing cakes.

August 27, 2010

Stellar Pittsburgh photographer Randi Voss shot another amazing wedding at the Heinz History Center in downtown Pittsburgh.  Some of you might remember the hometown reception for Alison & Paul, after their Maine destination wedding, one of my all-time favorite weddings we’ve featured. The photos from this wedding are amazing, and all kinds of fun. But [...]

Read the full article →

and we’re back…

August 27, 2010

Oh how I’ve missed you! So here we are. I’m so happy about this relaunch, and I’m so happy to be able to write again. Sigh. Like I said… I’ve missed you. Last night I went out to celebrate, and woke up to bagpipes. Bagpipes in NYC. Bagpipes. It’s not even March. Regardless, my Irish [...]

Read the full article →

Real Wedding: Nina & Tom

August 27, 2010

This is a pretty special wedding. Not only does the bride share my name,  which is AWESOME, but the groom is one of my oldest and dearest friends. When Tom and Nina got married in Westchester, NY they had all of their friends and family present for their very special day, which lasted into the [...]

Read the full article →